Pharmacological studies in prairie voles have suggested that the neuropeptides oxytocin
and vasopressin play important roles in behaviors associated with monogamy, including
affiliation, paternal care, and pair bonding. Our laboratory has investigated the cellular and
neuroendocrine mechanisms by which these peptides influence affiliative behavior and
social attachment in prairie voles. Monogamous prairie voles have a higher density of
oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens than do nonmonogamous vole species; …